Our Lady of Guadalupe statue weeps in Las Vegas
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The miracle story of the Weeping Virgin of Las Vegas began in 1991 when Pablo Covarrubias brought his statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe from Mexico City to Las Vegas. The statue barely survived the border crossing at Tijuana, Mexico, since the US border guards initially wanted to smash the statue to make sure that drugs were not stashed inside. When Pablo finally returned home, he placed the image of the Guadalupe Madonna on a stone pedestal in his backyard. The entire family prayed with devotion at their shrine. Tears On 31 May 1993, Pablo’s daughter Martha noticed tears on the face of the Madonna. Recognizing a miracle, the family called the media so that they could share their miracle with others. The CBS television affiliate Las Vegas Channel 8 sent a camera crew to record the event. The reporter insisted that before filming the statue be removed from its natural stone pedestal in order to prove that no water source was being funneled through the statue to create the tears. Many voiced strong objections to moving the statue, fearful that it might be broken. However, they saw the need for an objective eyewitness account, so the statue was taken off its pedestal. After this was done, the statue began to weep again for the cameras, as if on cue. The media returned about a week later to film additional footage for their news report. Although the television station discarded their videotape after two years as a matter of policy, the family still has a video copy of the story which was aired on TV Channel 8 in June 1993, a week after the miracle took place. Seeing a videotape of the Guadalupe Madonna of Las Vegas weeping is an extraordinary experience because the weeping appears to be so realistic and ‘human’. The hand-painted plaster statue stands about four feet tall, with a golden, spiked corona, green robe and veil, and copper-shaded dress. With its lovely face and golden brown eyes, it depicts an idealized portrait of feminine and saintly beauty. The film footage shows the slowly-falling tears with a close-up shot of the Madonna’s face. The eyes of the Madonna slowly well up with tears which accumulate and then overflow down her face. Just as they are about to drop from her chin, a cotton ball is used to capture the tears as devotional gifts for the faithful. The tear-filled cotton balls were soon discovered to have miraculous healing properties. One of the healings attributed to the statue’s tears, according to the family, was that of a pregnant woman who was told by her doctor that her unborn baby was dying. She was given a cotton ball soaked with the Virgin’s tears. After she rubbed her stomach with the cotton ball, her pregnancy corrected itself and a healthy baby was born. There have been many other cures. One person had an eye disease healed and another was cured of cancer. Some hospital patients miraculously recovered after an application of the Virgin’s tears. Further miracles Tears, however, are not the only manifested and provable miracle associated with the Weeping Virgin of Las Vegas. The bust of a small angel at the bottom of the statue regularly ‘sweats’ a fragrant, rose-scented oil from his face and hair. The sheen of that oil was both visible and tangible on the top portion of the angel’s head. In October 1993 another miracle took place. On an unusually windy day in Las Vegas, 32 people were praying in front of the statue when suddenly the wind died down, the clouds broke, and the sunlit form of the Guadalupe Madonna appeared in the sky. The glowing rays of the sun created the spiked, golden aura typical of representations of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Everyone in the prayer group witnessed the vision. The Madonna wept for a second time on 12 December 1993, the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The miracle tears flowed again on 25 September 1995. That September, the tears of the Madonna were accompanied by another miracle, also videotaped by the family: when Pablo’s daughter Martha prayed to the Madonna, an even-armed cross appeared on her forehead like a raised scar. This is a
private residence, so remember to be respectful and courteous
when visiting. (The Covarrubias family accepts no donations.)
The Shrine of the Weeping Virgin of Las Vegas is located behind
a 7-Eleven near the intersection of Las Vegas and Lake Mead boulevards.
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